Billionaire Cashback System: I Can't Go Broke!-Chapter 2: Morning of Truth

Ryan’s alarm was set to go off by 6:47 am, but he was already awake, practically waiting for it.

He got almost no sleep last night, and not intentionally — he tried to sleep, multiple times even, but whenever he got close his head would fill up with crazy thoughts again.

Thoughts of possibility.

The notifications and events of the previous day were still fresh in his head, and the more logical part of his mind dismissed it as some kind of hallucination.

And checking his phone this morning would confirm that fact, but it wouldn’t matter because the hallucination led him to getting Sophie’s number.

But the more desperate part of his mind wished for the impossible.

He stretched as he sat up on his bed and visibly winced at the light that streamed through his windows, his eyes fluttering open with deliberate slowness.

He hesitated to reach for his phone, his heart pounding with the realization that this moment could change his entire life.

He clicked on his bank app.

It loaded.

Particularly slowly today.

...

...

Balance: $358

No way.

Ryan rubbed his eyes, just to make sure he wasn’t seeing things, before slapping himself across the cheeks to make sure he was fully awake and not in some kind of dream. Then he looked at the balance again.

$358.

"What...the fuck?"

Ryan was certain his bank balance yesterday was $247. He was certain because he spent the entire day staring at it, and now...

Now it had...

> First Return Processed Successfully

> $111 dollars added to bank account

"It’s real..." Ryan muttered to his empty room, his eyes wide with disbelief.

This absurd thing was actually real.

> New Mission > Escalation

> Projected Investment: $200 - $350

> Suggested Action: Dinner

> Multiplier: 2 - 3x based on outcome

> Time Limit: 72 Hours

Ryan had barely settled with the realization that this whole thing was authentic when the new notifications came.

He stared at it for a while, trying to fully understand what was being asked of him. He was being told to spend basically the entirety of his bank balance on a dinner, and he’d get at least double of it back in returns.

Ryan already knew he was going to do it, but even as he made up his mind, doubt still crept in — what if this was some kind of glitch or the money got reversed?

It bothered him, all the things that could go wrong, but each time he thought about the potential — his chance at revenge — none of it mattered anymore.

He’d take the risk.

Ryan went to his messages, seeing the text he and Sophie exchanged moments after she left yesterday.

> Sophie: Hi, it’s Sophie

< Ryan: Hey, saved your number

< Ryan: Get home safe :)

"A fucking smiley face, really man?" He rubbed his forehead as he read the text back.

She hadn’t responded after his last message, which had already sent him into a spiral of bad assumptions.

He jumped off his bed, shaking his head as if to dispel the thoughts second-guessing himself.

"You’re a grown man, what are you doing?"

He raised the phone and began typing:

> Hi, Ryan here

Then he erased it; she knew who he was.

> Woke up this morning thinking about you. Wanna go on a date?

He erased it again; that’s too forward.

He instead settled for something simpler.

> Good morning!

He sent the message, then quickly locked the phone, preparing to go about his day not caring if he ever got back a response, but before he could even take six steps, his phone dinged.

> Sophie: Good morning!

> How was your night?

Ryan read the message, surprised at how fast she responded. He hadn’t fumbled yet — he had to lock in now.

> Ryan: Didn’t get much sleep

> Sophie: Oh? Up all night thinking about me?

> Sophie: Haha. Just kidding!

> Ryan: Too bad, you might be right.

> Sophie: Am I?

Ryan could sense her curiosity through the screen, and a devious smile lined his face.

> Ryan: Why don’t I tell you over dinner tonight? Perhaps at 7?

> Sophie: If that’s the only way I can find out, I guess I have to be there ^^

> Ryan: I’ll text you an address soon.

Ryan exhaled, almost giving himself a pat on the back for his performance, before swiftly going to search for restaurants that were within his budget.

After a couple minutes of research, he found one: Osteria Luna.

It was perfect: mid-tier, romantic, and most importantly — affordable.

He quickly made reservations over the phone. When he was done, he just stood there a while — the momentum was building, and so was his confidence.

He had a chance now.

Then a new notification came.

> Capital Increase Suggested for Mission

> Micro Investment Opportunity Available

> Buy Coffee for strangers at Starbucks to increase Reputation Stat

Ryan read through the text once before putting on a clean shirt, not questioning the system instructions and heading out.

---

The Starbucks was a wall of noise and elbows. He queued up and looked around. A woman in scrubs gripping her bag like it owed her money. A young guy in a stiff new suit, lips moving faintly — rehearsing something. Two people in gym clothes who were definitely not discussing the gym anymore.

At the register, he told the barista he wanted to pay for the next five orders. She looked at him like he’d said something in a foreign language, waiting for him to confirm what he meant again.

The scrubs woman heard and turned around slowly.

She exhaled through her nose and nodded once, the way people do when they’re refusing to get emotional in public and mostly succeeding.

The suit guy shook his hand. Told him he had an interview in forty minutes and hadn’t eaten, and this was — he stopped himself, recalibrated. "Thank you, man. Genuinely." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Get the big one," Ryan said.

He got the big one.

> MICRO-INVESTMENT COMPLETE

> Multiplier increased: 2.5x

> Projected Return: $119.50 in 24 hours

> Bonus: Social proof generated - Reputation building initiated

Ryan walked out into the morning feeling slightly unhinged and entirely fine with that.

His phone went off.

> Emma: I still don’t know why you did something that stupid and lost your job. If you’re willing to apologize, I can ask James to give you some work.

He stood on the pavement and looked at it. This woman was nothing if not audacious. He almost laughed as he began to formulate a reply.

Typed: Tell him to keep his job shoved right up his rectum.

Deleted it.

Typed: lol.

Deleted that.

Then he sent a thumbs up, blocked the number, and kept walking.

He was going to talk to her and James again, but it would be under very different circumstances.